One-Pot Chicken Fajita Pasta - Creamy 50-Minute Dinner

One-Pot Chicken Fajita Pasta starts with a hot pot and three chicken breasts. You sear them, pull them out, and use the same pot for the peppers. That browning is the whole base of the flavor, so don't rush it.

The odd part, the part that makes people nervous, is the milk. You pour 5 cups (1.2 liters) of it in with dry penne and let the pasta cook in it. No draining, no colander. The starch from the penne thickens the milk into a sauce that clings to every tube.

Fifty minutes from a cold stove to a full pot, and it feeds 4 people who eat well. If you've made fajitas and you've made pasta, this is the two of them in one pan.

About the Ingredients

3 tablespoons neutral oil, such as canola or vegetable

You need an oil that can take high heat without smoking. Olive oil works if it's regular, not extra virgin, which burns sooner.

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, sliced into thin strips

Slice against the grain into strips about 1/2 inch (1 cm) thick so they cook fast and stay juicy. Thighs work too and stay tender even if you overshoot the time.

1 red bell pepper, sliced

Any color works, but red is the sweetest. Cut the strips about the same width as the chicken so everything cooks evenly.

1 green bell pepper, sliced

Green brings a slightly sharper, more grassy note that balances the sweet red and yellow. Frozen sliced peppers are fine, just pat them dry.

1 yellow bell pepper, sliced

If yellow is pricey, use orange or a second red. Skip the green if you want a sweeter, milder pot.

1 yellow onion, sliced

A yellow or white onion both work. Slice pole to pole, not into rings, so the pieces hold their shape.

1 teaspoon kosher salt

Kosher salt is coarser than table salt, so if you only have table salt, use about 3/4 teaspoon.

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Freshly ground matters more here than you'd think, since it's one of only five seasonings in the pot.

1 tablespoon chili powder

This is the mild blended spice, not pure ground chile. If you use cayenne or ancho powder instead, cut it to 1 teaspoon.

1 tablespoon ground cumin

The cumin is what makes it taste like fajitas. Buy a fresh jar if yours has been open for years, since it goes flat.

1 tablespoon garlic powder

Granulated garlic is a fine swap. Fresh garlic would burn during the long simmer, so stick with powder here.

5 cups (1.2 liters) whole milk

Whole milk gives the thickest sauce. 2% works but stays thinner, and skim tends to split. For dairy-free, use unsweetened oat milk, not almond, which separates over heat.

4 cups (400 g) penne pasta, dry

Penne rigate, the ridged kind, holds sauce better than smooth. Rigatoni or ziti also work, but check them a few minutes early since shapes vary.

1 cup (115 g) pepper Jack cheese, shredded

Shred it yourself from a block if you can, since pre-shredded cheese is coated and melts less smoothly. Monterey Jack plus a pinch of cayenne is a good substitute.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Heat the pot and sear the chicken

Put a large pot over high heat and add the oil. When it shimmers, add the chicken strips in a single layer and cook 5 to 6 minutes, until no pink remains and the edges are golden. Pull the chicken out onto a plate and leave the oil and browned bits behind.

2. Cook the peppers and onion

Drop the heat to medium-high and add the sliced bell peppers and onion to the same pot. Cook about 6 minutes, stirring now and then, until the onion turns translucent and the pepper edges soften and pick up color.

3. Season everything

Return the chicken to the pot. Add the salt, black pepper, chili powder, cumin and garlic powder, and stir for about 30 seconds. You want every piece coated, and you want to smell the spices waking up, but not browning.

4. Add milk and penne

Pour in the milk and add the dry penne. Stir right away and keep stirring for the first minute so nothing settles on the bottom. Scrape the bottom of the pot as you go to lift any stuck pasta.

5. Simmer until the pasta is tender

Bring the pot to a gentle simmer, then lower the heat to medium-low. Cook about 20 minutes, stirring every couple of minutes, until the penne is tender and the milk has cooked down to a thick sauce that coats the pasta. If it looks dry before the pasta is done, add hot water 1/4 cup (60 ml) at a time.

6. Melt in the cheese

Take the pot off the heat and stir in the pepper Jack until it disappears into the sauce, about 1 minute. Taste and add more salt if it needs it. Let it sit 5 minutes, then serve.

Delicious Variations

Smoky version

Swap 1 teaspoon of the chili powder for smoked paprika, and use shredded smoked Gouda in place of half the pepper Jack.

Extra heat

Add 1 diced jalapeño with the peppers, seeds in, and finish with a few shakes of hot sauce at the table.

Meatless

Replace the chicken with 2 cups (200 g) of sliced mushrooms and a can of drained black beans, added with the milk. Add 1/2 teaspoon more salt.

How to Store One-Pot Chicken Fajita Pasta

Frequently Asked Questions

Get your pot hot and your chicken sliced, and dinner is one stir away. If you make it, come back and tell me how it turned out, especially if you went heavy on the jalapeño.

One-Pot Chicken Fajita Pasta – Creamy 50-Minute Dinner

One-Pot Chicken Fajita Pasta cooks penne in spiced milk with seared chicken and sweet peppers, so the sauce thickens right onto the noodles.

15 minPrep time35 minCook time4Servings685 kcalCalories

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🧂 Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons neutral oil, such as canola or vegetable
• 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, sliced into thin strips
• 1 red bell pepper, sliced
• 1 green bell pepper, sliced
• 1 yellow bell pepper, sliced
• 1 yellow onion, sliced
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• 5 cups (1.2 liters) whole milk
• 4 cups (400 g) penne pasta, dry
• 1 cup (115 g) pepper Jack cheese, shredded

📋 Instructions

1. 1Heat the pot and sear the chicken — Put a large pot over high heat and add the oil. When it shimmers, add the chicken strips in a single layer and cook 5 to 6 minutes, until no pink remains and the edges are golden. Pull the chicken out onto a plate and leave the oil and browned bits behind.
2. 2Cook the peppers and onion — Drop the heat to medium-high and add the sliced bell peppers and onion to the same pot. Cook about 6 minutes, stirring now and then, until the onion turns translucent and the pepper edges soften and pick up color.
3. 3Season everything — Return the chicken to the pot. Add the salt, black pepper, chili powder, cumin and garlic powder, and stir for about 30 seconds. You want every piece coated, and you want to smell the spices waking up, but not browning.
4. 4Add milk and penne — Pour in the milk and add the dry penne. Stir right away and keep stirring for the first minute so nothing settles on the bottom. Scrape the bottom of the pot as you go to lift any stuck pasta.
5. 5Simmer until the pasta is tender — Bring the pot to a gentle simmer, then lower the heat to medium-low. Cook about 20 minutes, stirring every couple of minutes, until the penne is tender and the milk has cooked down to a thick sauce that coats the pasta. If it looks dry before the pasta is done, add hot water 1/4 cup (60 ml) at a time.
6. 6Melt in the cheese — Take the pot off the heat and stir in the pepper Jack until it disappears into the sauce, about 1 minute. Taste and add more salt if it needs it. Let it sit 5 minutes, then serve.

👨🍳 Chef's Note: The browning on the bottom of the pot after the chicken and peppers is free flavor. Don't scrub it off before the milk goes in, just stir the milk over it and let it lift into the sauce.

Servings: 4

Cuisine: Tex-Mex

Course: Main Course

RecipesCooker15 minutes35 minutes55 minutes

Nutrition (per serving): 685 kcal · 42g protein · 62g carbs · 29g fat